How to build an effective insurance agent cover letter
With the many different types of insurance available to customers today, insurance agents have an essential responsibility to match their clients with the ideal plans to meet their needs. To earn a job as an insurance agent, you will need a cover letter that perfectly captures not just your skills and qualifications but also your dedication to the position.
In this guide, we will teach you 5 essential steps for writing a cover letter as an insurance agent. Keep reading to learn all about how to:
- Craft your insurance agent cover letter header & headline
- Personalize the greeting on your insurance agent cover letter
- Write an eye-catching insurance agent cover letter introduction
- Showcase your professional value as an insurance agent
- Conclude your cover letter with a strong closing statement
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1. Properly craft your insurance agent cover letter header & headline
The first step to writing an effective cover letter is to craft a well-formatted header and headline.
Your cover letter header is where you will list all the necessary identifying information about yourself and the company you are applying to. As for your cover letter headline, this is a brief title statement used to hook an employer’s attention and serve as a preview for the information to come.
Below are more in-depth explanations and examples of each of these cover letter elements:
Formatting the header
A cover letter header is not bound by a strict set of formatting rules and can vary in appearance depending on your personal stylistic preferences. However, a header should always contain between 3 to 4 lines of text that include:
- The name of the company & department you are applying to
- Your name and professional title
- Your professional contact information (phone number, email address, LinkedIn, etc.)
Here is an example of a well-formatted header on an insurance agent cover letter
To: Cigna Health, Hiring Department
From: Jane Doe, Insurance Agent
(123) 456-7890 | janedoe@email.com | linkedin.com/in/jane-doe
Writing the headline
To write the headline of your cover letter, you should always use a keyword related to the position, an eye-catching number or trigger word, a powerful adjective or verb, and a promise.
Here is an example of a well-written headline from an Insurance Agent cover letter:
My 3-Step Approach to Matching Customers with Insurance Plans & How It Can Benefit Your Clients
Trigger Word/Number: 3-Step Approach
Keyword: Insurance Plans
Adjective/Verb: Matching, Benefit
Promise: Your Clients – this addition at the end of the headline shows the employer that you will relate your skills and approach directly to the needs of their company and clients.
2. Personalize the greeting on your insurance agent cover letter
The greeting of your cover letter follows the headline. While generalized greetings – such as “To Whom It May Concern” – are the simplest options, personalized greetings help to make your cover letter more memorable to employers.
A personalized greeting will address a specific person or department within the company by name. In doing so, this helps to show the employer you have excellent attention to detail and have taken the time to research their company beforehand.
In some cases, you may be unable to pinpoint an exact person or department that will review your application. If this is true for you, try out one of the following alternatives:
To the [Company Name] Team
Or
To the [Company Name] Hiring Manager
3. Write an eye-catching insurance agent cover letter introduction
With your header, headline, and greeting now in place, your next step is to write a compelling and eye-catching cover letter introduction.
A strong introductory paragraph will typically include:
- A brief overview of your professional history and goals
- A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this company
- A mutual acquaintance (when possible)
Here is an example to help demonstrate how to write an insurance agent cover letter introduction
To the [Company Name] Hiring Manager,
I am an Insurance Agent with 5+ years of experience matching clients with the ideal home and property insurance plans. While working as an independent broker, I had the pleasure of meeting your company’s Head of Communications – Jack Smith – who encouraged me to apply for this position after learning of my growing client pool.
4. Showcase your professional value as an insurance agent
Following the introduction of your cover letter are the body paragraphs. We generally recommended aiming for between 2 to 4 body paragraphs that offer more in-depth answers to the following questions:
- What excites you about working at this company?
- What do you hope to learn from working at this company?
- What accomplishments or qualifications make you stand out as an applicant?
- What key skills do you possess that are relevant to the position?
Focusing on your accomplishments is especially important, as they help to show employers the real-life value you can bring to the company.
Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in an insurance agent cover letter
As an Insurance Agent at [Former Employer], I achieved a 35% success rate in selling customers extra coverage with their base plans. Additionally, I regularly surpassed the monthly sales quota of $25K at an average of 10% higher sales.
5. Conclude your cover letter with a strong closing statement
To finalize your cover letter, you will need an effective closing statement that includes:
- An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
- An additional sentence stating you will follow up, including how you will contact them or how they can contact you
- A formal sign-off
Here is an example of a strong closing statement from an insurance agent cover letter
As your new Insurance Agent, I will bring a large pool of loyal clients to your company and a high level of excellence in sales and consulting. I am eager to hear from you and would love to plan a formal meeting to further discuss this opportunity. I am available all weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the best way to reach me is at (123) 456-7890.
If I do not hear back within a week, I will reach back out to check on the status of my application.
Best Regards,
[Applicant Name]
Follow this cover letter outline for maximum success.
